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Friday, March 31, 2017

Mujeres de Negro, Jueves 3/30/17 Chapter 31: New Plans

Sorry this is a little late, but it takes me about two hours to type this after having to take handwritten notes due to playback issues. However, there's nothing like some Handel to help that process! Enjoy this exciting episode.

Bernal
was at Jackie's house and despite not being on the force he couldn't
stop thinking like a detective.

“Victor
Martinez wanted to kill you. What was his motive? You weren't an
enemy.”

“No,
no, the only time I met him was when I had an appointment at
Farmateca and refused their offer for ZZ.”

“To
refuse a deal isn't sufficient motive. There had to be something
else, Jackie. Think.”

“I
don't understand why he shot me.”

Bernal
was determined to get to the bottom of that situation even if he
investigated it from a different precinct. He kissed her, saying “Te
amo.” before leaving. He had fallen in love with Jackie.

Borgetti
texted Irene It's urgent that we talk. The Victor situation has
gone badly. Irene looked at her cell while the inspectors talked
to Miriam. She was shocked. She looked over her shoulder and texted
back. I can't meet with you now. I'm with your wife and FDA
agents at Farmateca. I'll call you when I can.

Victor
was trying to sneak out of his house with two large suitcases, but
Rico and Ramirez were waiting for him.

“Where
are you going in such a hurry with those suitcases?”

“I'm
taking a little vacation.”

“You'll
be taking it in prison. You're under arrest for the attempted murder
of Señora Jacqueline Acosta.” Ramirez pulled his arms behind his
back.

“But
I'm innocent.”

“Señor
Martinez, you have the right to remain silent –”

“You
have no right to come to my house and talk to me that way!”

Rico
started over and initially met with the same resistance. Finally
Ramirez cuffed Victor and held him back with a hand on one shoulder
so Rico could finish reading him his rights.

The
FDA agents were favorably impressed, praising what they saw in the
laboratories. Both Irene and Miriam were pleased. Miriam talked
about clearance for international markets and one of the agents
commented that Dietrix would be a big success. Irene said they
should open a bottle of champagne. She kept smiling as she texted
Borgetti. Bruno, tell me what happened.

Eddie
texted Vanessa, who had not come for their date. She went to
Jackie's house, upset at how things had gone with Julio. Katia was
at the beach house, helping her with the sale. Vanessa couldn't
leave until everything was ready and the papers signed. She asked
whether Bernal could help them and Jackie said no; this was too
dangerous. At least Diego was safe. However, now the police knew
they had planted the bomb, but how did they know? If Julio had told
Borgetti, did he believe him? In all this Vanessa had forgotten
about Arturo and the job she was prepared to abandon.

Isabella
lay in a hospital bed, attached to IV's and monitors as the doctor
explained to Julio that she had suffered a heart attack. She was to
rest, take her medication, and follow a very strict diet.

“Doctor,
can I travel?” she asked.

“No,
not for the moment.”

“Doctor,
I urgently need to travel to Argentina. Can you get all the
necessary tests done in a few days and get her to the airport in an
ambulance?”

“I
don't recommend this.”

“Julio,
go and take the child. Don't worry about me; I'll be alright.”

Julio
tried convincing the doctor he would take good care of his mother but
the doctor told him he would be assuming this responsibility at his
own risk. Isabella tried to convince Julio to go on ahead. She
wanted to go home rather than stay in the hospital. She apologized
for holding him back.

Borgetti
wanted Kuri to leave the interrogation room but she said “Sorry,
this case is mine.” She looked at Victor and asked in a demanding
tone “Why did you try to kill Jacqueline Acosta?”

“I
didn't want to kill her, just threaten her.”

“Why
threaten her?” Borgetti asked.

Victor's
lawyer answered for him.

“My
client was at the point of losing his job at Farmateca because Señora
Acosta had been at the point of selling Transportada ZZ when she
reneged. She had a snobbish attitude. He wanted to teach her a
lesson.”

“So
you shot her in revenge,” said Kuri.

“No.
It was just a threat!”

“No
shouting,” Borgetti said to Victor.

“Your
motive is weak. Why don't you tell the truth?” Kuri was leaning
over the table into Victor's air space.

“My
client is telling the truth,” said the lawyer. “If the motive is
weak, he just lost control. It was an impulsive act. He wasn't
thinking.”

“You
are implying temporary insanity?” asked Borgetti.

“Oh,
please!” said Kuri. “Don't expect us to believe that. If your
client's mental faculties are impaired how does he take a pistol with
him, fire it during an attack, and report the attempted robbery?
That is an elaborate process for someone who is allegedly
unbalanced.”

“No,
it doesn't look that way. When we go before the judge he will give
the sentence.”

“We'll
see,” said Kuri. “But for the moment, Señor Martinez will be in
prison.” She leaned into Victor's space again. “In a cell.
You'll be taken there.”

“No,
no! I need to talk to Señora Palazuelos.”

“And
why do you want to talk to her?”

“She's
my boss. She'll have to have an explanation. Please let me talk to
her before you ship me off.”

“We'll
be doing the documents to send you to prison,” said Borgetti. “If
she doesn't get here before we finish she can visit you in prison.”

Irene
got there.

“You
were to get out of the country immediately when I ordered you to,”
she said through clenched teeth.

“I
was. I never imagined that the ballistics report would come back so
quickly. Señora, I'm afraid. Don't let me go to prison without
inside protection!”

Irene
rolled her eyes.

“Alright.
You can count on it. I'll pay your legal bills while we get you out
of here.”

“Don't
let them take me. Don't leave me without help!”

“You
wanted to take risks. And more, you begged me for this opportunity.
Conduct yourself with class and trust me because if you fail you
won't have me to take care of you because we'll both be in prison.
Is that clear?”

“Yes,
Señora. But please get me out fast. I can't take prison hell for
long.”

She
promised, but looked disappointed with him.

Miriam
texted her husband to be home soon for dinner. They were going to
celebrate the Dietrix coup and she would have his favorite steak and
red wine. He read the message and replied that he had a bad day the
day before and a lot of work at the station. You don't know how
much I want to be with you and how you can make me forget everything.
Finally he said he would see her that night.

Miriam
opened the safe and took out a large laptop.

Borgetti
met Irene in the woods. She read the text on his cell that had
bothered him the day before: “If you don't want to be denounced I
demand that you leave me and my family alone. Both of us have a lot
to lose. As you say we can agree to peace or go to all-out war and
see who comes out hurting more.” She looked up. “What did you
answer?”

“Nothing.
It's better to remain silent [?????]
The situation with your assistant is becoming more complicated but
the matter of Julio Zamora and his family will be resolved very
soon.”

“Victor
hasn't talked yet but I don't trust him not to. He's cowardly and
weak. He has to get out. He must take after --”

“Who?”

“Nothing.
I thought he would learn from me after all these years, but it isn't
easy.”

“I
couldn't stop Rita from presenting the report and I can't change it.
But I will take charge of Martinez and his defense attorney.”

“Thanks.
I don't know if your wife told you we have the authorization to sell
Dietrix in the US.”

“Yes.
She sent me a message a little while ago.”

“Don't
you see? With that our earnings are augmented. Soon you can leave
that invalid wife and go away with me.”

“Yes,
that's how it will be. But first there are other things to take care
of. Victor, the Zamoras, the widows, and that video. And, of
course, Tomás.”

“Do
you know what we will do with him?”

“Yes,
I've given much attention to that.”

Miriam
spoke with the computer expert who showed her a new video camera with
greater capacity. She handed him the laptop and said she needed all
the files copied. Everything that was on it. He said this would
take a maximum of two hours and got started on it.

Sandro
and Katia were having a picnic in the park. She described the yacht
explosion. He found the case curious, saying he had seen Julio on
television. Katia said that Julio was quite fortunate.

Rico,
Ramirez, and Kuri were at the station. The case of the murdered
prostitute was not solved and there were no easy clues. Rico said
that Bernal looked like the prime suspect but Kuri said that Bernal
was a cop and uncorruptable. However, his relationship with Jackie
Acosta was curious. She asked about the alleged illegal lab in the
abandoned house but that was a false alarm. There was an interesting
coincidence regarding the yacht explosion and the murder. She got up
and saw Borgetti arriving. She told him about the call from the
governor and his request for a new investigation. He said he would
expedite sending the reports. He sensed she was onto him.

As
they picnicked on the grass Katia told Sandro that her mother died
when she was born and her father sent her to a boarding school as
soon as he could. He had paid for her education but that was also to
keep her outside his life. He died when she was eighteen and she had
mostly felt alone, also thanks to Nicolás' depression. Sandro
started telling her a similar story. He went to live with another
family after his parents died. There was a son who was like a
brother to him but he died in an accident. They got up and he handed
the picnic things to their driver. They were on their way.

Vanessa
told Eddy that her phone had not been charged. Arturo came over
saying he was worried because she had not come that day. She had him
sit down before telling him that Julio had taken Diego. He asked
whether this was against her will because then Julio would have
broken the law. She told him no; she had allowed it for Diego's
good. She also thought about going away to rid herself of memories.

Arturo
wanted to help her, but she told him that her son was better off as
far as possible from Encino Blanco.

Julio,
Diego, and Isabella were at her house. She took to her bed while
Julio talked to the EMTs. After they left and Julio put Diego to bed
Isabella told him she felt better. However, she was worried about
their safety. He was hoping she could get better enough to travel
with them.

Bernal
was in the commissioner's office where the man told him he was
recommending that he not be rehired in the force. This was about his
problems with authority. Bernal admitted to having unorthodox
methods but that had nothing to do with his investigative skills.
The commissioner recommended that he become a private investigator as
his decision was irrevocable.

Jackie
called him as soon as he arrived home. When he told her what
happened she realized his ego had taken a major blow. She told him
she loved him.

José
heard her side of this and was shocked. Jackie said she'd prefer he
not return to the force. His hours there were difficult, among other
things. Also, it could present a problem if they wanted to leave the
country. That surprised José who wondered what that would do to
their business plans. She told him not to worry about it for now.

Jimena
and Natalia were in the bar looking at the plans for the restaurant
and Jimena was surprised that Natalia had already been to José's
place. Natalia sensed that Jimena also had eyes on José but Jimena
denied it. He was cute but that's all. All she cared about was him
doing his job. Natalia told Jimena that it was time she had a man
because she was too wrapped up in getting revenge on Katia over
Nicolás. Jimena got bitchy about that. Natalia told her “Okay, I
won't give you any more advice. But I did it because I care about
you and want you to be happy.” She walked out and left Jimena to
stew in that.

Katia
and Sandro went to her new place, which was decked out in candles,
wine, and fruit. That led exactly to what it was set up for.

Irene
spoke to Tomas, who was at his computer. He refused to make delivery
on her demand, insisting she meet him on his turf or there would be
no deal. She said, “Very well” and asked where he was. He told
her. She then called Borgetti's precinct from a pay phone and
disguised her voice to make an anonymous accusation. She accused him
of being responsible for the dead bodies that had recently turned up.

Kuri
was on the other end of the line. She motioned for Rico and Ramirez
to come to her desk. She asked questions and Irene pretended to be
Tomas' girlfriend. He had wanted her to leave the country with him
but her conscience wouldn't allow her to in view of the things he had
done. She told Kuri where he was before she hung up. Kuri looked at
Rico who shook his head, indicating that he hadn't had adequate time
to trace the call.

Bernal
tore down the photos on his wall and downed several shots of tequila.

Borgetti
told Rico and Ramirez that this would require precision. Kuri called
him to the phone for Commandante Ogarte, who told him that they had
information on Tomas' comings and goings and his involvement in human
trafficking. Borgetti thanked him, saying he would keep him
informed. He hung up and told his men he wanted this man taken
alive. Kuri asked to accompany them but he refused.

As
soon as they left the precinct Kuri called Bernal. He did not
answer.

He
did answer the door and let Jackie in. He was not in the mood to see
anyone, even her. She realized he had been drinking. He wanted to
be alone and said so so angrily that she left, saying he could call
her when he was ready. He was upset with himself at this.

Borgetti
drove the police van with Rico riding shotgun at the head of the SWAT
team convoy. Tomas had just purchased a plane ticket online. He got
up to leave when Borgetti pounded on the door. He escaped out the
window just before the door was forced open by Borgetti and Rico.
Borgetti fired once out the window, which caught the attention of the
rest of the team. Rico went out the window in pursuit. Borgetti
found Tomas' cell phone on the desk and pocketed it. Tomas climbed
into another window of the hotel and ran out through the door to the
room, past a young couple looking to do what comes naturally. Rico
flashed his badge at the couple as he followed. Tomas went up the
stairs toward the roof and locked the door behind him with a deadbolt
that was at foot level. Rico shot out the deadbolt and followed.
The others followed per Borgetti's orders. Tomas climbed to the neon
sign's level, went down two levels on the other side of the building
with Rico following him.

Tomas
grabbed some rope or cable and lowered himself down the side of the
building. The others began shooting but Rico ordered them to stop.
Borgetti was shooting out of a lower window, winging him as he made
it inside through an open window. He reloaded his pistol and waited
as Tomas stumbled toward the room he was in. He spotted Borgetti but
could not get away. Borgetti shot him dead. Rico arrived just in
time to see this.

Two very important things happened in this episode. Number one is that it appears that Victor may be Irene's son. If you recall a few episodes back, when she was yelling at her mom she said their was living proof of what her stepfather had done to her, and then last night when she is discussing Victor with Borgetti she said "Victor is cowardly and weak, he must take after..." and then she stops herself from saying who. It would explain why she always gives him her dirty deeds to do, and why she bothers with him at all. We'll see.

The second important thing is Borgetti's murder of Tomas being witnessed by Rico. I think there may be a good guy there after all, and Rico will not put up with this after all. Borgetti lied and said he wanted Tomas alive, just to deflect suspicion but the fact that Rico caught him shooting Tomas in the back is in complete contradiction to what he said he wanted.

One other very interesting development is the laptop that Irene took out of the safe, that has to be Julio's laptop, she will now have her hands on Irene's Video, and all of the Farmateca information.

I must say the writters of this TN are very good, they have many twists, and turns and they are tying all of the loose ends very neatly into packages to be delivered at the doorsteps of Borgetti and Irene. I like the pace, the music, the relationships, some more than others.

Thank you Urban, you were right about how detailed and how many clues we can miss if we don't pay attention. Glad to be part of this patio.

Gracias, Sandie. Sometimes the actors mumble and I don't catch what they're saying. I need to get headphones for those occasions.

I once dismissed the possibility of Victor being Irene's son but now that I see him in broad daylight I also think he is. He looks younger in the bright sunlight and she was probably about 14 when he was born. Her manner in that scene says that Borgetti doesn't know this and she doesn't want him to. It would be a display of weakness and she can't tolerate that.

Rico is probably an honest cop so this discovery is not going to rest easily with him.

Kuri would make a good police chief. She's honest, organized, and highly observant. When Borgetti goes down I hope she gets his office.

That striped dress and the way the pattern is arranged does nothing for this actress. That will go into a future edition of Crimes of Fashion.

Urban: I agree Rico is probably an honest cop. I don't think he is a hypocrite, he just is Jealous of Bernal. Jealousy can make you do dumb things. So dumb and jealous yes hypocrite no. At least I hope he does the right thing with this information.

Thank you so much, Urban! Oh man was this episode on fire! Irene of course is the worst mother if Victor is in fact her son. She kept him close, under her influence, and instead of helping him move away from her poison, kept him close. She has to feel something for him or if not she would've had him killed long ago because he's useless and makes one mistake after another. The fact that she hasn't told Borgetti is especially surprising but I guess there's always a deep dark crevice in our soul that we never share with anyone.

I don't think Rico has even been evil or gray, he just follows orders, and I think Bernal and Kuri know that and know how dangerous it can be but it's not necessarily that he's in cahoots with Borgetti. I hope he immediately reports Borgetti before he gets praised for another bs investigation.

Sandie, if this is your first Moreno production, you have definitely been missing out ;)

It also occurred to me that Victor himself doesn't know that Irene is his mother. Not surprising, either, and I'm sure she has no intention of telling him. I wonder if this will be the first time such a thing doesn't come to light until after either character's death.

Victor is unlikely to make it to the end; no prediction yet about Irene.

That poor car does not deserve to have Frauddie's smarmy arse contaminating her upholstery. --Julia

"The tiresome child is returned to us." I agree with Vivi, the rescue was worth it to see Enzo in his wet t-shirt. Yowza that man's got a bod. If I were Chela I'd be pushing Temo in the well every time Enzo drives up.

She is just so stupid. I can't stand it. Doesn't it make you just want to shoot a taser at her? Your just sitting there reading the paper minding your own business. She walks in and starts screeching and you hide the taser next to you and fire. ZZZZZttttt! She flops around on the floor like a fish out of water. That would shut her pie hole for sure! I feel so much better now. - Connie

Gonzo is dead to me.
I want Barb to fall off a cliff. And take Dam & Cam with her.
I want to hit Esteve over the head with a Nerf bat.
If want to duct tape Gardenia's mouth shut.
I want Flor to get different glasses.
I want Curls & Sniffles to stop crying. --Doris

Who on earth is that guy with the horrible hair!!! Dios mio, se parece como se vomito una escoba encima!!!! (He looks like a broom barfed on his head.) -- Anonymous

I want Guy Ecker to look at me with his ojos. I want Fernando Colunga to take me in his arms, embrace me and whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I want William Levy to kiss me, over and over and then start over again." -- Newbie-One-Kanobe